Five Ways to Keep Safe During the Party Season

The party season is a great time of year to let your hair down and indulge a little in the finer things in life. That being said it’s even more important at this time of year to take extra precautions while you’re out partying the night away with friends and family.

We don’t want to spoil your fun but our moto is always safety first. With this in mind here are five tips to make sure that you enjoy the celebrations while keeping safe.

1: Plan Your Journeys

It’s likely that you’re going to be going to several events during the party season including the renowned office party! Just as you wouldn’t turn up to any event without having first given some thought to your outfit the same should go for your journey there and especially back.

Once you’ve partied late into the night and had a few drinks you may not have the best judgement. Here are a few points that you should bear in mind:

Travel in Groups

Even if you have pre-booked your cab, arrange to travel with a group of your friends. Not only will this help reduce the cost but it will also mean that you won’t be left stranded alone and particularly vulnerable if you’ve been drinking.

Watch Your Valuables

Make sure that your valuables such as wallets, purses, keys etc. are secured and with you at all times, a night can quickly turn from fun into a nightmare if your valuables go missing. If you are worried that your wallet might go missing bring a smaller card holder with you, this will only have your essential cards and cash meaning that if anything does happen you’ve minimised your loss.

Pre-book Cabs

Try and pre-book cabs for the end of the night, this way you can guarantee that you have a way to get right back to your front door when the night ends.

Don't Drink and Drive

If you’re planning on drinking definitely don’t drive! Either arrange a designated driver or organise another method of transportation to get home.

2: Manage Your Drinking

It’s all too easy to get carried away with alcohol when you’re out celebrating the festive season. However, we need to remember that drinking in excess at any time of the year is never a good idea. We don’t want to stop you having the odd drink but it’s important to be more mindful of the amount that you’re consuming

The NHS recommends that both men and women should aim to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, drinking more than this on a regular basis can cause serious health issues. If you’re not sure what counts as a unit or how much a typical drink contains, here’s a breakdown for you:

Glass of Red, White or Rose Wine

Depending on the size of the glass a small glass of wine starts from 1.6 units. A standard 175ml contains 2.3 units and a large glass is 3.3 units - keep this in mind when choosing to go large.

Bottle of Red, White or Rose Wine

A 750ml bottle of wine will contain 10 units of alcohol.

Beer, Lager or Cider

The size and strength of the alcohol you’re drinking will make a difference to the number of units it contains. A can will normally be around 500ml and range from a regular (4%) which is the equivalent of 1.8 units up to extra strong (8%) which will take your unit count up to 3.5. If you’re a pint drinker then the unit count will be higher, a regular pint of beer, lager or cider is approximately 2.3 units while an extra strong can reach up to 4.5 units.

We all want to have a festive and merry Christmas, that being said it’s important to be mindful of triggers that can encourage us to drink more than we should:

Rounds can be dangerous as well as expensive due to the fact that you have to keep pace with the fastest drinker. To ease the pressure it’s best to opt into smaller rounds with only a few friends or give it a miss altogether.

Rather than drinking an entire pint or a large glass of wine why not opt for a half pint or small glass - this will help keep your unit count down.

Keeping note of what you’re drinking can also be very useful, this way you can see when you’re approaching your limit and cut back. A good tip is to have a soft drink in between alcoholic drinks, this helps to space out your drinking throughout the night.

If you’d like more advice on alcohol then check out DrinkAware, the site run by an independent charity is full of information to help you make better drinking choices.

3: Party Safely

We know that you’ve got some new moves that you’ve been waiting to unleash on the dance floor but always be mindful. Never get up and leave your drink unattended even if it’s only for a moment; if you want to hit the dance floor and bust a move either wait until you’ve finished your drink before you get up or bring it with you.

The high heels that you bought really do match your outfit, however, dancing on a slippery floor in six inch heels probably isn’t the best idea. If you really want to go all ‘night fever’ then bring a pair of flats that you can change into – your feet will thank you.

4: Wrap Up

During the party season people tend to throw caution to the wind and wear what looks good, rather than something which is functional. With the temperature cooling it’s a good idea to wrap up to protect yourself from the elements – the key is to wear layers. Layering up means that you’ll keep warm outside but once inside you can take the layers of to reveal your masterfully crafted outfit.

5: Safe Sex

Make sure that you’re prepared this party season, no one wants to have to deal with an expected surprise. In a recent survey conducted by Superdrug a whomping 41% of party-goers are hoping for more sex this Christmas than at any other time of year - it really is the time to be jolly! However, only 30% of people actually plan to carry a condom which means that many may have unprotected sex.

Unprotected sex increases the risk of unwanted pregnancy and also leaves you vulnerable to picking up sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) which we’re sure isn’t the Christmas gift you were expecting. To help protect against both unwanted pregnancies and STIs contraceptives are the safest bet.

Whether you’re staying here or going abroad remember to pack contraceptives and in particular condoms, they are really important as they are the only form of contraception that helps protects against both pregnancy and STIs. If you run out you can get condoms from a range of places such as sexual health clinics and many young people’s services. If you’re one of the 41% of people who said they’d buy condoms if they had a fun, festive twist then why not vote for one of our festive condom prototypes.